came out to his friends at length, who were waiting to comfort him, and fearing how he would take such a heavy stroke, he returned from prayer with a cheerful countenance, and told some of his friends, who asked him the reason of his cheerfulness, that he had got that in his retirement with the Lord, that to have it afterwards renewed, he would be content to lose a son every day.'

6thly, Seriously consider, that you are but a few days journey behind him for whom you mourn; and that you will quickly overtake him and be with him again. This allayed David's sorrow for his child, 2 Sam. vii. 23. "I shall go to him." It is our expecting to live long here, to enjoy the comfort of relations, that commonly makes us grieve so much for their death; for, if we looked on ourselves as men that were to die in a few days, we would not be so troubled for our friends, that are gone but a little space before us.

7thly, If your friends are gone to heaven, you have more reason to rejoice with them, than to mourn for them seeing they are unspeakably happier where they now are, than they could have been with you. It is the most fervent desire and wish of every true Christian to be in heaven; and, will you grieve, because God hath taken your relation thither, where you desire to be yourself above all things? As Christ said to his disciples before his death, John xiv. 28. "If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I go unto the Father." So, if your departing friend could speak to you from heaven, he would say, If you loved me with a pure spiritual love, you would rejoice that I am gone to my Father, where I am more happy than you can possibly conceive of me.'

Object. Had I ground to think that my friend is gone to heaven, it would ease me; but alas, I fear it is otherwise.

Ans. 1. It doth not belong to us to dive into the eternal state and condition of these that are. gone off the stage. These secret things belong to God, who

exercised his mercy or justice towards sinners, according to his sovereign will

2. Supposing the worst, you ought to submit to the incontrollable sovereignty of God, who hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. He is of one mind, and who can turn him? The Lord cut off Aaron's two sons in the very act of sin and rebellion against him, and yet Aaron held his peace, and so ought you.

3. Whatever be the lot of others hereafter, you have reason to be thankful to God for his distinguishing mercy, in saving you from these flames that others fall into, and giving you good hope through grace of glorifying God above for ever.

DIRECT. VIII. Let the sickness and death of others be a warning to you in time of health, to make due preparation for the time of sickness and of dying, which is before your hand.

WHEN you see your friends and neighbours in a sickly, weak or dying condition, the language of the dispensation to you that are in health is, "Prepare for sickness also." Nay, the feeble voice of the sick doth proclaim this warning as loudly, as if they should lift up their voice like a trumpet, and say to you, "Remember that thou must lie in the same case ere long, you must also groan under pain, lose your strength and beauty, leave your mirth and company, bid adieu to all the world, and look out for the grim messenger death, that is a-coming to dissolve the earthly tabernacle, send the body to lie in a putrifying grave, and the soul to stand before God's tribunal, to be sentenced to an endless state. This will be thy case, O young man, strong man, healthy man, as really in a little, as it is now of those before your eyes. O how soon will it come! What thought will you then have of the world, of sin, and vain company? Will

any thing comfort you then but the favour of God, the love of Christ, and the review of a holy well spent life? Wherefore do with all thy might now what thy hand finds to do; employ the time of health well in prepar ing for sickness, and leave nothing to do in time of sickness, which is a most unfit season for a man to do soul-work and salvation-work in.

I. I shall begin with those of the family where the harbingers of death do presently reside. Surely the warning of sickness and death ought to be louder in your ears than others, and most diligently hearkened unto by you, that lodges under the same roof with the messengers of the king of terrors. 1st, Remember that word, 1 Peter v. 6. "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God." It well becomes guilty sinners, all the members of the family, to be humble before a holy God, when he is smiting any of the number. Humbly acknowledge his sovereignty and absolute dominion over you, saying, "Lord, thou art the author and founder of families, and thou mayest afflict and punish them as thou thinkest fit. Thou settest the solitary in families, and multipliest their number; and thou mayest diminish them, yea, lay them desolate according to thy pleasure. Thou mightest have made all the members of the family sick, as well as one, thou mightest have given a deadly blow to parents, children, and servants at once, yea, have made the house in which we live a common grave, and buried us altogether in its ruins." Humbly acknowledge the justice and mercy of God in the present visitation, "Lord, instead of one, we all deserved to have been thrown on sick-beds, and all of us to have been smitten by death. Thou punishest us less than our iniquities deserve."-Acknowledge also God's wisdom and love in the present affliction, and humbly submit to take the cup which he hath mingled for you. "The cup which our heavenly Father hath ordered for this family, shall we not drink it? It is a gracious and wise God that doth what is done in the family; there

fore it is our part to be dumb, and not to open our mouths to quarrel."

2dly, The command which the king of Nineveh gave all his subjects, when threatened with ruin, Jonah iii. 8. is very proper for a master of a family to give to all under his charge, when sickness doth rage among them; fast, and cry mightily to God, and turn every one from his evil way.- -Who can tell if God will turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not: When the destroying angel gets a commission to smite families with mortal and infectious diseases, which sometimes go from house to house like a plague, sweeping many old and young off the stage: then especially it should be a time of mighty crying and pleading with God for mercy. And since our pleading is wholly ineffectual without an atoning sacrifice to incensed justice, let us not forget to bring the all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ's blood alongst with us, and plead this with God for averting his wrath from our houses and families. As Moses said to Aaron in a time of common calamity, Numb. xiv. 46. so may I say to you that are heads of families, take a censer and incense, and go quickly and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord, the plague is begun. Bring the incense of Christ's satisfaction, that great atonement to divine justice, which was typified by the legal sacrifices and oblations. Humbly and earnestly plead that great sacrifice with God, for turning away the fierceness of his wrath. Get the bunch of hyssop, faith, in order to the sprinkling of your houses with that atoning blood, that so you and your families may be among the preserved in Christ Jesus.

Lastly, Let all in the family where sickness is, and. especially the head of it, remember that word, Job xxii. 23. "Thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles." God hath sent sickness with this miessage to you, "Search out family sins, whether of omission or commission: mourn over them, turn from

them, banish them far away. Let no vice lodge under your roof. Let family worship be no more neglected, nor slightly performed. Let God have both the morning and evening sacrifice." Now, if the members of these families visited with sickness, who are in health for the present, would thus humble themselves, cry to God, plead the blood of Christ, and reform what is amiss among them, the present affliction would be sanctified, and they in some measure prepared for the like trial, when God shall be pleased to put the cup in their bands.

II. In the next place, let me warn all the friends and neighbours of the sick, whether they be in the family or not, to improve the day of health, in mak ing ready for the time of sickness. Be much in the exercise of self-examination, humiliation for sin, believing in Christ, renewing covenant with God, mortifying of sin, trimming the lamp, meditating of heaven, living by faith, deniedness to the world, studying to overcome the love of life, and fears of death; concerning all which, I have given directions in the foregoing chapters of this book, when speaking to the sick and distressed. These exercises are not only proper for the sick, but also for those in health; and are suitable preparations for sickness and death, to be studied by all men in every condition. But there are some things further most necessary to be minded by people in time of their health, in order to prepare them for the time of sickness and of dying, before it come.

1st, Make your latter will, keep it by you, that you may not be incumbered with your worldly affairs, in time of sickness, or at a dying hour. Surely, it is great wisdom to put this work by hand in time of health. But I have spoken largely of this, Chap. I. Direct. VI.

2dly, Take heed in time of health, that you lay not up sad provision against the day of sickness, by your careless and untender walk. As it is sin that